Heather Knight (educator)
Encyclopedia
Heather Joy Knight is an American
educator, who currently serves as President of Pacific Union College
. She is the first woman to serve in that role and the only African-American woman to lead a college affiliated with the Adventist Church in the North America
. Born in Jamaica
, her family moved to the United States when she was nine. After completing her undergraduate degree
at Oakwood College, she did her graduate work at Loma Linda University
. She received her doctorate
at Stanford University
and pursued postdoctoral research at Harvard University
.
She began her career on the faculty of the University of the Pacific, becoming an award winning associate provost until she was asked to take over as provost
at Andrews University
. In 2009, she became the 21st President of Pacific Union College.
and lived there for the first nine years of her life. She immigrated to the United States, settling in the Bronx, New York, with her parents Austin and Herolin Evelyn. Knight is married to professor and outreach chaplain, Norman Knight. They have five sons and three daughters.
. After her family moved to the Bronx, New York
, she attended the High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts
, featured in the 1980 Academy Award winning movie Fame and the 1982 TV Series
, majoring in vocal performance
.
Knight began her undergraduate education at Howard University
in Washington, DC but transferred a year later to Oakwood University, then known as Oakwood College, in Huntsville
, Alabama
where she graduated in 1982 with a bachelors in English. Two years later, she got her masters in English from Loma Linda University
in Loma Linda
, California
. In 1991, she received her doctorate, also in English, from Stanford University
in Palo Alto, California
. She completed postdoctoral studies in management and leadership in education at Harvard University
in Cambridge
, Massachusetts
.
, California
as a professor of English in 1988. She later became the assistant provost and then in 1997, the associate provost for Faculty Development, Diversity and Special Programs. During her time at the University of the Pacific, she is credited with leading the school's first Diversity Committee as well as spearheading a major initiative that is credited with nearly doubling the number of minority faculty at the University of the Pacific. In 1997, Knight became the youngest faculty member to receive the University of the Pacific's distinguished Eberhardt Teacher/Scholar Award. The award was established to reward exemplary teaching and scholarship.
in Berrien Springs
, Michigan
. Her work there involved oversight of Andrews various operations and academic enterprises. Knight was responsible for overseeing over 150 academic programs, 227 full-time faculty, 3,400 students studying on the Berrien Springs campus, as well as another 4,000 students studying in Affiliation and Extension programs around the world, and a $75 million budget.
. Her selection was historical, in that she is both the first black president and first female president in Pacific Union College history. Furthermore, she is the first (and currently only) black woman to lead a North American Adventist college. When Knight took over, Pacific Union College had experienced two consecutive years of decline in enrollment, however, in her first year as president enrollment increased by 11%. After taking over at Pacific Union College, Knight has been noted for her wide experience at both Christian and secular schools and her ability to build consensus between various constituent parties. In December 2010, Knight received an award from the local Chamber of Commerce
recognizing her attentiveness to and willingness to work with the community.
' concepts outlined in his book Good to Great
. Knight uses the 'good to great' idea as a theoretical framework for institutional improvement. Knight asserts that, “We are called to a really high level of excellence based on the exceeding excellence of God Himself. Therefore, we have an important role to play as pacesetters and models of best practices in higher education." The January, 2011 edition of the Pacific Union Recorder
reports on renovations to the campus accomplished under Knight's leadership. Pacific Union College's dining commons and campus center, a major hub of student life, had not been updated in 30 years. The Recorder quotes Knight, “When I think about our campus going from good to great, I’m including every area of campus, including our facilities. My vision is that within the next several years the entire campus will be transformed.”
, contrary to official church belief. This followed the controversy over the teaching of origins at La Sierra University
over similar accusations. As president, Knight was quoted in a statement affirming Pacific Union College's commitment to church beliefs while emphasizing the school's dedication "to understanding contemporary issues surrounding science that sometimes conflict with specific theology."
Articles
Professional publications
Images
Audio and video
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator, who currently serves as President of Pacific Union College
Pacific Union College
Pacific Union College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Angwin, California, United States. It is the only four-year college in Napa County, California....
. She is the first woman to serve in that role and the only African-American woman to lead a college affiliated with the Adventist Church in the North America
North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda is officially organized as the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists...
. Born in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, her family moved to the United States when she was nine. After completing her undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
at Oakwood College, she did her graduate work at Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
. She received her doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and pursued postdoctoral research at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
She began her career on the faculty of the University of the Pacific, becoming an award winning associate provost until she was asked to take over as provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
at Andrews University
Andrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...
. In 2009, she became the 21st President of Pacific Union College.
Personal life
Heather Joy Knight was born in JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and lived there for the first nine years of her life. She immigrated to the United States, settling in the Bronx, New York, with her parents Austin and Herolin Evelyn. Knight is married to professor and outreach chaplain, Norman Knight. They have five sons and three daughters.
Education
Knight began her formal education while in Jamaica under the British systemEducation in England
Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
. After her family moved to the Bronx, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, she attended the High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
, featured in the 1980 Academy Award winning movie Fame and the 1982 TV Series
Fame (1982 TV series)
Fame is an American television series originally produced between 1982 and 1987. The show was based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name. Using a mixture of drama and music, it followed the lives of the students and faculty at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. Although...
, majoring in vocal performance
Vocal Performances
Vocal Performances was a 12" EP released by Pere Ubu frontman David Thomas in 1981. The EP was released on Rough Trade Records as Trade 5/12...
.
Knight began her undergraduate education at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in Washington, DC but transferred a year later to Oakwood University, then known as Oakwood College, in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
where she graduated in 1982 with a bachelors in English. Two years later, she got her masters in English from Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...
in Loma Linda
Loma Linda, California
Loma Linda is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 23,261 at the 2010 census, up from 18,681 at the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1991, she received her doctorate, also in English, from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. She completed postdoctoral studies in management and leadership in education at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
University of the Pacific
Knight began her career at the University of the Pacific in StocktonStockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as a professor of English in 1988. She later became the assistant provost and then in 1997, the associate provost for Faculty Development, Diversity and Special Programs. During her time at the University of the Pacific, she is credited with leading the school's first Diversity Committee as well as spearheading a major initiative that is credited with nearly doubling the number of minority faculty at the University of the Pacific. In 1997, Knight became the youngest faculty member to receive the University of the Pacific's distinguished Eberhardt Teacher/Scholar Award. The award was established to reward exemplary teaching and scholarship.
Andrews University
In 2006, Knight accepted a call to serve as provost of Andrews UniversityAndrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...
in Berrien Springs
Berrien Springs, Michigan
Berrien Springs is a village in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,862 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Oronoko Charter Township. Berrien Springs is best known for its Seventh-day Adventist community and Andrews University...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Her work there involved oversight of Andrews various operations and academic enterprises. Knight was responsible for overseeing over 150 academic programs, 227 full-time faculty, 3,400 students studying on the Berrien Springs campus, as well as another 4,000 students studying in Affiliation and Extension programs around the world, and a $75 million budget.
Pacific Union College
Knight was selected as President of Pacific Union College in July 2009 and took office in September 2009. She was officially inaugurated on April 15, 2010 in a ceremony at the Pacific Union College ChurchPacific Union College Church
The Pacific Union College Church is the campus church of Pacific Union College in Angwin, Napa Valley, California. It is a part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church.-Congregation:...
. Her selection was historical, in that she is both the first black president and first female president in Pacific Union College history. Furthermore, she is the first (and currently only) black woman to lead a North American Adventist college. When Knight took over, Pacific Union College had experienced two consecutive years of decline in enrollment, however, in her first year as president enrollment increased by 11%. After taking over at Pacific Union College, Knight has been noted for her wide experience at both Christian and secular schools and her ability to build consensus between various constituent parties. In December 2010, Knight received an award from the local Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
recognizing her attentiveness to and willingness to work with the community.
The Adventist Advantage
In the second all-school colloquy of the 2009–2010 school year at Pacific Union College, Knight spoke on "Integrating Faith and Learning: A Higher Education Imperative" and her Adventist Advantage platform. She reported that institutions of higher learning are taking a fresh look at religion and spirituality and argued that it provides Adventist Education "with multiple opportunities to showcase what we have been doing so very well for so many years." She introduced her theoretical framework to meet these opportunities, titled the Adventist Advantage. The framework consists of seven main points: meaning and purpose found by a connection with Christ as our personal savior; health, wellness, and a wholesome lifestyle; education, caring about the life of the mind and lifelong learning; ethics and morals; generous service; diversity; and stewardship of the earth, which is tied to the Sabbath.From Good to Great
Heather Knight studied Stanford colleague Jim CollinsJames C. Collins
James C. "Jim" Collins, III is an American business consultant, author, and lecturer on the subject of company sustainability and growth. Jim Collins frequently contributes to Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Fortune and other magazines, journals, etc...
' concepts outlined in his book Good to Great
Good to Great
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't is a 2001 management book by James C. Collins that aims to describe how companies transition from being average companies to great companies and how companies can fail to make the transition...
. Knight uses the 'good to great' idea as a theoretical framework for institutional improvement. Knight asserts that, “We are called to a really high level of excellence based on the exceeding excellence of God Himself. Therefore, we have an important role to play as pacesetters and models of best practices in higher education." The January, 2011 edition of the Pacific Union Recorder
Pacific Union Recorder
The Pacific Union Recorder is a monthly newsmagazine published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah in the United States, an area administrated by the Pacific Union Conference...
reports on renovations to the campus accomplished under Knight's leadership. Pacific Union College's dining commons and campus center, a major hub of student life, had not been updated in 30 years. The Recorder quotes Knight, “When I think about our campus going from good to great, I’m including every area of campus, including our facilities. My vision is that within the next several years the entire campus will be transformed.”
Statement on Faith and Reason
In late 2010, a biology professor at Pacific Union College was falsely accused of promoting theistic evolutionTheistic evolution
Theistic evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution...
, contrary to official church belief. This followed the controversy over the teaching of origins at La Sierra University
La Sierra University
La Sierra University is a Seventh-day Adventist co-educational university accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Adventist Accrediting Association...
over similar accusations. As president, Knight was quoted in a statement affirming Pacific Union College's commitment to church beliefs while emphasizing the school's dedication "to understanding contemporary issues surrounding science that sometimes conflict with specific theology."
External links
Articles
- Kellner, Mark A. World Church: Heather Knight, Veteran Educator, Named Andrews University Provost Adventist News Network, June 28, 2006.
- Knight, Heather Joy. The Greatest Gift of All. Adventist Review online edition.
- Knight, Heather Joy. Voices from the Dome, Atlanta, 2010. Adventist Review.
- Knight, Heather J. and Sadao, Kathleen C. More Than Bittersweet Success: Effective Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Faculty of Color. Diversity Digest.
- Knight, Heather J. Andrews University Provost Objectives, 2006–2007.
- Dr. Knight Talks Career and Family on the Hope Channel.
Professional publications
Images
- Inauguration of Heather Joy Knight. Introduced by Chair, Napa Valley Register
- Inauguration. Dr. Knight with husband, Napa Valley Register
- Inauguration. Panaramic view of sanctuary at time of inauguration. Napa Valley Register.
Audio and video